PRINCIPAL SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Who We Are

For more than 25 years, Aptima's mission has been to improve and optimize performance in mission-critical, technology-intensive environments. We apply deep expertise in how humans think, learn, and perform to today's challenges. Whether for fighter pilots functioning in the cockpit, medical staff in the ICU, or teams collaborating across distributed networks, we are working to ensure synergy, enhance productivity, and accelerate learning, training, and readiness.

Our culture is rooted in our core values, which have evolved over time and our employees have embraced - Integrity, Ingenuity, Excellence, Respect, Inclusion, Teamwork. At our core, Aptima researches, develops, and innovates within an area that engineering firms largely ignore, the human component. To impact the world in meaningful ways, you must bring those innovations to light, and that is precisely what we do.

How You'll Make an Impact
The Research Engineer Level 4 is primarily responsible for driving the technical vision and success of multiple interdisciplinary projects. In this role, you will serve as a principal investigator (PI) on major initiatives, lead efforts to build a robust portfolio of projects with various customer agencies, and secure large-scale contracts. You will act as a recognized domain expert-mentoring peers, influencing divisional strategy, and generating new business opportunities to drive company growth.

You Can Expect To

• Lead High-Impact Projects:
  • Take full responsibility as the PI for multiple related interdisciplinary projects, ensuring overall project success and technical excellence.
  • Oversee the design, development, and implementation of advanced systems and methodologies that address complex marketplace needs.
• Drive Business Development:
  • Spearhead efforts to establish a portfolio of projects across diverse customer agencies, cultivating relationships and strategic partnerships.
  • Lead initiatives to secure large base contracts with multiple task orders, expanding the company's market presence and revenue streams.
  • Identify and generate business development opportunities in new markets through innovative technical solutions and thought leadership.
• Act as a Domain Leader and Ambassador:
  • Represent the company as a leading expert by being invited to present on panels and at industry conferences.
  • Contribute to the company's reputation by publishing research, authoring technical papers, and delivering high-profile presentations.
• Mentor and Influence Organizational Direction:
  • Serve as a mentor and coach across the company, providing thoughtful and meaningful feedback that shapes career development and technical proficiency.
  • Influence the strategic direction of your team and division, championing company-wide goals and fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.
• Ensure Technical Excellence and Quality Delivery:
  • Oversee and guide the execution of scientific and technical work, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope, and to the highest quality standards.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams-including software engineers, data scientists, and project managers-within agile environments to integrate cutting-edge algorithms and research outcomes.
• Contribute to Strategic Communication and Thought Leadership:
  • Lead the production of comprehensive technical reports, proposals, presentations, and published papers that clearly communicate project successes and innovations.
  • Regularly contribute to capabilities briefs, customer meetings, and internal reviews, ensuring that feedback is consistently shared across the organization.
• Pursue Continuous Professional Development:
  • Stay at the forefront of technical and industry developments through continuous education, professional networking, and engagement with emerging research trends.
  • Take initiative in expanding your knowledge base to support both current projects and long-term strategic initiatives.

Experience:

• Minimum of 8-12 years' relevant work experience, with a proven track record of leading complex, interdisciplinary projects
• Demonstrated technical and leadership ability to operate at a high level of responsibility, including experience in project management, business development, and mentoring across teams

Technical Expertise:

• Possesses a deep understanding of multiple technical domains relevant to our organization, with a primary focus on a specialty that integrates effectively with other domains
• Ability to competently apply advanced engineering technical skills, principles, and heuristics to develop high-quality plans and products that are responsive to customer needs, contractually compliant, and delivered in a timely manner
• Advanced proficiency with object-oriented programming languages (e.g., Java, C#, C++), and a high level of proficiency in Python, with expertise that will be further evaluated during the interview process
• Strong understanding of machine learning techniques (e.g., Support Vector Machines, Artificial Neural Networks) and demonstrated experience using these methods to build computational models from large data sets
• Familiarity with, and a demonstrated ability to leverage, generative AI architectures to solve complex problems and drive innovative solutions.

Communication and Leadership:

• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) demonstrated through job talks, published research, or other professional work samples
• Proven ability to influence, mentor, and provide thoughtful feedback across the organization, shaping the technical direction and strategic goals of teams or divisions

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state or local law.